Veg Festin' & Flagstaffin'

#31daysofbiking Mileage Counter: 363.4

Knowing that at least one day this past weekend would be kind weather-wise, I had some rather ambitious plans, most of which came to fruition.

Saturday, August 20th

I knew about Bethlehem's VegFest for several months, and when it just so happened that I had also planned to be up north this weekend for a gig, I decided to make it happen - via bicycle, of course.

Due to the late nights that usually occur after gigs, I didn't get started as early as I'd hoped. I wanted to bike there and back, but I knew I would be too late, so I commissioned my sister to pick me up at the end. At the beginning, I hit up 14 Acre Farm in Lehighton for a delicious farm-to-table lunch before setting out on my journey. Seemed appropriate:

That green is begging to be eaten...

I then headed for the Bowmanstown trail head of the D&L Trail, but owing to my zombie-ness and how I usually never get off that exit, I forgot to turn. Rather than backtracking and wasting another 15 minutes or so, I picked up the next trail head a couple miles down the road:

They all basically look the same, right?

The ride was nice for the first half, as the trail is mostly flat land, hard packed gravel and/or paved terrain. The D&L is mostly old railroad beds that have been stripped of their rails & ties, and sometimes you feel like you're literally riding through history with the ghosts of old industry. In case you haven't noticed, I've been focusing a lot more on riding lately than taking tons of pictures while on the ride, but trust me, there's a lot of unique scenery to be seen. It was...really nice, and I'll do it again.

Unfortunately, the trail is cut off somewhere near Northampton, so I had to detour through the suburbs. I don't mind the hills - it's the traffic and the related obstacles associated with it. Not really why I wanted to go on this ride. But I will say the weather was fantastic, and overall the ride was easier than I thought it would be despite the detours. I made it nearly 24 miles in less than 2 hours:

Your destination: an average parking lot

I arrived, dismounted and got ready to lock my bike, when I realized that I had left my key in the console of my car. I keep my bike & house keys on one chain, and my car keys on another because I don't use them on a day-to-day basis, so again, my zombie-ness tossed my house keys in the console thinking "Why the heck would I need these?" So...

I had to make an unexpected trip to a local bike shop:

Not sure about the name, but the service was good...

I picked up a combo lock for the interim. At the very least, it's more flexible than my u-lock, so when I throw my bike on the roof rack, I can use the new guy instead. Something positive comes out of everything, I suppose.

After a solid ride, sadly, the festival wasn't much to get excited about. I had a much better time meeting up with a friend at a nearby super-micro brewery. Hey, don't I do this stuff all the time after a long ride? I got a 5 for $7 flight at Bonn Place, highly recommended:

Gotta catch 'em all

The festival was held on this thing called the South Bethlehem Greenway, which is a converted old rail line, much like the D&L. It's not a very long trail, so after seeing what I wanted to see at VegFest, I decided to explore. I ended up at the end, near the Sands Casino:

I don't see any sand. WTF?

If you're not from the Lehigh Valley or surrounding area, the Sands was built on some of the land that used to house the former steel giant Bethlehem Steel (that produced the steel that built the Golden Gate Bridge, don'tcha know?), hence the girder overhead.

At this point, my sister let me know they were on their way down to pick me up, so I headed back to the downtown area (and dinner!). Solid day, even if I didn't go round trip.

Sunday, August 21st

Believe it or not, I had NO plans to ride today! I knew it was going to happen, because it kinda just does at this point, but nothing set in stone before, oh...10?

I had an afternoon engagement in the Philly 'burbs, but I decided I should do something "different" before heading back home:

The D&L Trail isn't different

I didn't actually ride the D&L Trail today. That's just where I decided to park, because it was just easier (and free!). On a whim, I did something I don't think I could have done a year ago. I biked up Flagstaff Mountain:

Notice the quotation marks

You may ask, "Why the hell would you do this for fun? Are you training for something?" Yes.

Believe me, even as a cycling enthusiast, it was anything but fun, hence the quotation marks. You can see the 935 ft. gain in elevation, most of which was on the trek up the mountain (there's a small hill near the trail head). This was easily the most difficult 7 miles of cycling I've ever endured, and once again, I was humbled. People think that because I tow 300 lbs. of laundry on a bike that I'd be able to do pretty much anything, but it's totally different when you're moving consistently uphill as opposed to several short bursts (like I do on my route). Thankfully, the road isn't frequently traveled, because I needed to go serpentine to avoid stopping. I came close several times, and I won't lie, I paused for about a minute at the bottom of the hill before starting, maybe longer, I don't know. In any case, I made it up safe and sound, and this was quite the reward:

What? A fence? Psh...

That's the town of Jim Thorpe in the background, for those who don't know from where I hail. Let's just say, the ride down was much easier, but it was a little scary. I hate having to rely on my brakes so heavily. On that note, it may be time for a tune-up.

It's a good thing I did this (or any riding) when I did, because the rains moved in for the remainder of the day, and despite the sweaty mess I became after this, it sure beats riding in the rain.

Onward to the home stretch: just 10 more days...already? Jeez.